Google Glass available to American public on Tuesday

Apr. 15, 2014
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Actor Harry Shum, Jr. with his Google Glass. Google Glass is a wearable computer with an optical head-mounted display (OHMD) which displays information in a smartphone-like hands-free format. It will be available for a limited time to the American public on April 15, 2014. / Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY

The one-day sale is an expansion of Google's Glass Explorer program, which began back in 2012.

"Every day we get requests from those of you who haven't found a way into the program yet, and we want your feedback too," Google said in a post on Google+ last Thursday. "‚?¶We're excited to meet our new Explorers, and we can't wait to hear your thoughts about Glass."

Google said, the number of spots available is limited, so if you are from the United States, over 18 years old and want to buy a pair, head to this website.

Google also announced it will begin pushing the KitKat software update to Google Glass next week.

The update brings improved battery life, a new photo sharing feature in hangouts and an updated SDK for developers.

Photos will also be shared in bundles like Instagram's photo grid. Explorers can also sort their voice commands by recency or frequency and can share feedback with Google using their voice.

Google also took liberty in removing video calls, for the time being anyway, citing a poor user experience. Google said fewer than 10% of Glass Explorers use video calls.

"Our most exciting update is subtle, but big," Google said in a Google+ post. "...(Android KitKat) makes Glass more reliable and easier to update in the future."